We’d love to meet you during our introduction week!
You have two options:

• Attend only the mandatory days (the International Student Day and Study Programme Day), or
• Join us for the full week and take part in all the fun activities

Signing up for the mandatory days is – as the name suggests – required.
This is a great opportunity to meet other international students, and you’ll receive essential information about your residence in the Netherlands. Please make sure you register using the link below.

If you’d also like to participate in the full introduction week, please keep reading.

Programme Mandatory days Leeuwarden:

The programmes for the 2026–2027 academic year will be announced in July 2026. Please keep an eye on this page.

Full Introduction Week Registration (Dutch Website):

If you want to join the full introduction week, please register via the Dutch website.
Important: Even if you register for the full week, you must also sign up separately for the mandatory International Student Day — this is where you’ll receive essential information for your stay in the Netherlands.

The programme will be announced in the summer.

We’d love to meet you during our introduction week!
You have two options:

• Attend only the mandatory days (the International Student Day and Study Programme Day), or
• Join us for the full week and take part in all the fun activities

Signing up for the mandatory days is – as the name suggests – required.

This is a great opportunity to meet other international students, and you’ll receive essential information about your residence in the Netherlands. Please make sure you register using the link below.

If you’d also like to participate in the full introduction week, please keep reading.

The programmes for the 2026–2027 academic year will be announced in July 2026. Please keep an eye on this page.

Full Introduction Week Registration (English Website):

If you want to join the full introduction week, please register via the English website.

The programme will be announced in the summer.

To see your booklists you will be referred to the Dutch webpage. Please keep this page open though, as this is your guideline between the Dutch and English information.

To see your booklists you can choose to go to the Dutch or English webpage. The choice is yours. Please keep this page open though, as this is your guideline between the Dutch and English information.

We hosted 2 live webinars for upcoming students in which we discussed practical information on what to know and prepare before your arrival in The Netherlands. Missed them? No worries, you can watch the recordings here:

Webinar 1:

In this first webinar we discussed the application process, visa and insurance, financial matters, the Goin’ app and housing. Click here to watch the webinar.

Webinar 2:

In this webinar we discussed the introduction week, your travels to The Netherlands, VHL culture and Dutch culture. Click here to watch te webinar.

To help you with everything you need to arrange, we created the VHL survival guide: When in the Netherlands! This booklet contains all kinds of useful information for international students. Download it here to get all the details on opening a bank account, registering at the local municipality and healthcare in the Netherlands.

As you prepare for your study abroad adventure, one of the key things on your to-do list is finding a cozy place to call home. You'll be in charge of arranging your own accommodation, so before you depart to the Netherlands, make sure you've got this sorted (even if it's just temporary). Given the current housing shortage in The Netherlands, it can be a bit tricky to find a place. That's why we recommend starting your search in Springtime. But don't worry, we're here to help! We've mapped out different routes to guide you in finding a place to stay:

Take the train from the airport

If you fly to the Netherlands, you can take a train from Schiphol Amsterdam Airport to Velp. We would like to warn you about taxis, as they are extremely expensive, even for short distances. Public transport is well-organised in the Netherlands, so it’s really best to take the train! You can plan your journey via NS.nl. This is also where you can buy your tickets online, or do this at the NS desk or machine at the airport. Alternatively, you can check in with a contactless debit card using OVpay.

Travel to the Netherlands by international train or bus

A sustainable option is to travel by international train to the Netherlands. You can visit the website of the railway company in your own country, or go the website of the Dutch Railways at nsinternational.com. If you prefer to travel to the Netherlands by bus, the budget option Flixbus.com is worth checking out.

Public transport in the Netherlands

Once you’ve arrived in the Netherlands and need to take a bus from the train station to get to your final destination, please have a look at 9292.nl for routes and bus numbers. You can buy a single ticket on the bus or check in with your contactless debit card. If you plan to travel more often with Dutch public transport, please check NS.nl for discount subscriptions.

Bicycle

All students in the Netherlands cycle! It’s really the best way to get around. Most people get a second-hand bike at a bike shop, via student Facebook pages, or via marktplaats.nl (Dutch eBay). Alternatively, you can rent a bike from swapfiets.nl.

You're off to study in the Netherlands soon. Are you properly prepared? Have you sorted out your student finance? Do you already have your Citizen Service Number (BSN)? Want to know what you can arrange before you leave and once you've arrived? Visit the link below and get a quick overview of what you need to do. All the key steps lined up for a smooth start to your studies. Very handy!

Un tiki mas i bo ta bai studia na Hulanda. Bo ta bon prepará kaba? Bo a regla bo finansiamentu di estudio? I bo a risibí bo Number di servisio pa siudadano, tambe yamá BSN? Bo ke sa mas di loke ku bo por regla promé i despues ku bo yega Hulanda? Bishitá government.nl/caribbeanstudents i haña un bista di bo situashon den un minüt. Tur asuntu ku mester regla den un rei pa un bon komienso di bo estudio na Hulanda. Hopi práktiko!

Are you looking forward to studying at VHL? And are you curious to see who’s also going? Via Goin’ you can chat with other students already before arrival. Or connect with current students who can tell you everything about student life at VHL.

You will need a VHL account during your studies. This account grants you access to all the digital facilities of the university of applied sciences. Such as your class schedule and the digital learning environment. Your VHL account consists of an e-mail address (firstname.lastname@hvhl.nl) and a password you set yourself. From the start of your programme, VHL will only send you information via this e-mail address.

Logging in from home is not necessary. You will do this together with your lecturers during the first week of classes.

Complete enrolment first, then VHL account
You will only receive an email to activate your VHL account once your enrolment is complete. Is there anything you still need to submit to guarantee your start at VHL? Please do so as soon as possible, so that we can have enough time to process your information, and ensure you are able to participate on the first day without worries.

With the configuration below, you will be able to use all the currently available VHL applications.  Please make sure to bring or buy your own laptop, as you will need it a lot.

Processor: Moderne Intel i5 or an AMD Ryzen 5 processor
Internal memory: 8 GB (16 GB is recommended for GIS and graphic Adobe software)
Storage: 256 GB (a larger disk is recommended if you want to store a great deal of data such as photos and videos)
Screen resolution: Minimum 1920 x 1080
Optional connection: HDMI

No rights can be derived from these recommendations.

With an HDMI connection you can connect your own laptop at school to the projector in a classroom. Online lessons use a (built-in) webcam. Furthermore, a headset in a noisy environment is recommended.

Please note: Not all applications run on a Chromebook or MacBook. It is recommended to use a Windows laptop.

Operating systeem: Windows 10

Laptops with an operating system Windows 10 or higher or macOS are accepted by VHL's WiFi network. Your VHL account allows you to install MS Office on your own computer for free. You will be assigned an MS Office licence to install MS Office on 5 different devices. This can be done via https://portal.office.com. Your laptop is of course equipped with an up-to-date virus scanner.

For other software such as GIS or SPSS, you can visit https://www.surfspot.nl. Here you can buy all kinds of software and hardware at a reduced rate. Use your VHL account to log in.